Thursday, June 9, 2011

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” Luke 12:25

I don’t talk about a lot of heavy things here on the blog. I do my best to keep the topics nice and light with a focus on sewing and crafting. But in the midst of the sewing and the crafting…life happens.

We are facing a pretty tough decision in the coming weeks and we need all the prayers we can get. Our little guy was diagnosed with autism last year. He is almost 7 years old and such a great boy. He is in a really great program at his school and while he is doing well, he needs a lot of support.

His mind is CONSTANTLY going a million miles an hour and he struggles to focus and lacks impulse control. I fear it will only get worse as he gets older without medical intervention. We’ve been approached about medicating him several times in the last few years and have always been very adamant that we were not ready to go down that road. It’s scary. Trying to make a decision whether or not to begin medicating your child is SCARY. I know it can help him, but I am scared. I don’t want medication to take away his good quirky qualities. I don’t want it to make him sick. And I don’t want to play the “let’s guess which medication will be best game”.

It’s kind of a lot to handle. So pray for us. Pray that as we begin to navigate this road that the Lord will be our guide. He has been SO faithful every step of the way and I know His faithfulness will continue.

Pray specifically that…

It would be crystal clear which decision we are to make…to medicate or not. {And if we decide to…}

that the doctor would get it right on the FIRST TRY. The right med and the right dosage. No guessing and playing with different meds.

That there would be NO side affects that would disrupt his eating or sleeping patterns. No tummy aches.

That it wouldn’t change who Carter is as a sweet, funny, awesome little boy…just help him to focus and manage his behavior.

I know that’s asking a lot. Like asking for a miracle. But my God is faithful and he is good ALL THE TIME. Thank you for your prayers. I covet them. I’ll keep you posted on what we decide to do.

***I don’t think any of my readers are meanies, but just in case…Please don’t post mean comments regarding this post. If you don’t have anything nice to say, please don’t say it. I know that medicating a child is a hot topic, but this is our journey and we need to go down this road our way. I am feeling down about all this and I need to be lifted up not torn down further. Thank you for respecting my feelings.***

My thoughts and prayers are definitely with you and your fmaily. This is such a tough thing to go through I'm sure. Hang in there!! Everything will turn out ok! I know it ;)p.s. my friend's son has mild autism too and she chose the medication path and it worked perfectly. He is still his funny happy self, and the autism has much less of a hold on his life. Good luck friend.

Okay, first off I laughed out LOUD at the Anxiety Girl header. Why have I never heard of her before? I AM her! Secondly, I just took a moment to pray for you. Being a parent is one of the scariest jobs ever, and you are doing a great job by seeking wisdom and direction from God! Just wanted to encourage you with that. Also, have you ever considered finding a naturopathic doctor?

Elizabeth - My son has a dual diagnosis of ADHD and A-typical Autism. I've blogged about him a couple of times if you want to have a look. More from a creating perspective and not so much focusing on the challenge that comes with these kids.For what it is worth, if you can break through the medication guilt that naturally comes with these decisions, it is one of the kindest and best things you could do for your son. Their days are tough enough already, and without a medication that brings balance and ability to organize thoughts in their heads, every single hour is a struggle for them. Without it, EVERYTHING enters their senses equally, resulting in a freight train of stimulous. Without it, all sounds enter equally - talking, coughing, clanking, tapping, music, etc. Imagine looking at someone that is talking to you and trying to filter what they are saying at the same time that a thousand other sounds are bombarding you.That's the experience for these kids. The medication helps them to filter and to organize. In our own case, I now understand it would be unkind to not help my child with the medication that helps him get through the school day.Best of luck with your decisions.Michaelbluevelvetchair.blogspot.com

my son was diagnosed with autism 4 1/2 years ago, and as time has gone on AND a lot of work between our family, school and therapy, he is in a regular class & summer camp without an aide. We opted not to medicate, instead have treated issues on a case by case basis but you need to do what is best for your son. hugs to you and your family. i know what you are going through. prayers ascending

Elizabeth - I truly will pray for your family and this hard decision. I can only imagine how difficult it will be and I truly hope you receive the inspiration you need. I'm sure you will! Thinking of you!

I wish the best for you and your family & the decisions you will have to make for your son. I hope that whatever you choose to do, you have peace with your decision and that it helps your son.

It is so hard to know what to do when you aren't sure what is best for your kiddo. (I am facing an issue where I have to decide on a medical issue for my son as well and I am torn about what to do, so I can empathize with your situation totally)

I will pray for you. My heart and thoughts are with you. I will say that whenever I have something major like this going on and try to find somewhere in my house where I can be completely silent and still. The answers I am seeking usually are easier to hear that way. God will speak to you and help you. I am confident about that.

Hugs to you. I have gone through this myself. Our oldest daughter was medicated for years for ADD. (She was on Adderall.) Pros - her grades increased dramatically and the extreme temper tantrums, and moodiness lessened to where we could handle it. Cons - the medicine made her shaky and sick to her stomach especially when the doctor changed doses or we resumed after the summer break. When we took her off for the summer it was like she was experiencing withdrawal symptoms like a drug addict and she became moody and violent for a few days. We finally took her off it completely as the side effects were scaring me and are attempting to help her in other ways, like diet. I will pray for you. It's not an easy decision to make. I just wanted to share a little bit of our experience.

FYI- As a social worker I've had the awesome opportunity to work with some great kids like your son. I can say there should be no guilt about your decision. There is no right way or wrong way to work with all kids like this. Each and everyone one of us is an individual! Every child needs to be taken on a case basis, which you are obviously doing for your son. Best of luck. My only unasked for advice is to ASK around. Pediatricians aren't the best with these types of meds but they KNOW who is- find the best and proceed prayerfully- you guys will be fine! Hang in there!! Becca

Use the medicine. My grandson is much the same. His parents would not medicate for years--not until he was in his early teens. He missed so much learning and was so frustrated. Do the medicine, watch for side effects, insist on changes when you think things are not working, and know that you are not alone.

A VERY tough decision! We tried one medication with my son and it made him more violent, not where we want to tog, in the end we decided to wait a few more years. That's what worked for us, I hope you get the answers and clarity you need as a parent to move forward! Love you!

I can understand what a difficult decision that must be. Our 7 year old just recently got diagnosed with autism. We are constantly struggling with how best to help him - there are so many different opinions and suggestions out there. Be open to advice but remember that you know your child best. Your son is beautiful and is a lucky little boy to have such loving parents.Jenn :)

My heart goes out to you. My son, Noah who is also 7 is autistic too. It is so hard to make choices like this. At times you wish you could see into the future to know the outcome of your choices. Have you tryed the weighted vest? Or given him a stress ball even soft fabric to keep in his pocket so he has something to fuss with. My son has a stress ball in his pocket at school it has really helped him stay focused and not disrupt the rest of his classmates. I so relate to your statement about taking "away his good quirky qualities." I too have struggled with that thought at times. God blessed you with a special soul. I will be thinking of you and praying.

not sure why, but today this post showed up in my reader. (pretty sure I'm not this behind in reading, but anyhoo) Prayers going up for you and your family. Hope all is well as you've taken your next steps. Hugs!

I don't know your situation but if you decide to try a natural approach. When my brain is all strung up, i take a supplement called 5-htp available at most health food stores. And I've heard of people using peppermint essential oil-breathing it in to help with focus. Dr. Amen has some strong research on brain health too.

We have several family friends whose children with mild autism are now in college. All the best to you.Jana

Our oldest grandson is 7 and he is Autistic. He is not on any medication and is doing amazing. The most remarkable things happened when his diet changed to gluten free/ dairy free. He is a different child. No more mood swings. He is happy and out-going and the light of our lives. If he eats dairy or gluten by accident, you can see the difference immediately. I know that there is no one thing that works for everyone, but a dietary change is fairly easy to do, especially these days when more and more companies are offering gluten free items in the stores. You are facing tough decisions for sure. My prayers are with you and your family :)

praying for you. i have been through this myself with my son. i was very much against medicating and had the same worries as you, but i was talked in to it by the school, who basically insisted. my guy was really having so much trouble behaving and getting along in school. The medicine has made an amazing strong difference in his life; it is so awesome that he does not get in ANY trouble at school now. Things haven't gone as smoothly for us as you are praying; there has definitely been a lot of fiddling with the dosage and even changing medicines on the doctors part, and there have been some mild side effects, most significant being the appetite and subsequent weight loss, which i was worried about as my guy was small and skinny to start with. so i still do have issues and concerns with his being medicated! but i cannot deny the HUGE improvement the medicine (both of them have worked for him) has made in his life. I will tell you the medicine has NOT changed him to the point of taking away his special uniqueness or anything like that; it just helps him to focus and be so much less frustrated and so much happier. Good luck and prayers for your family, mama!